DRC-Set 'War Witch' ('Rebelle') Sweeps Canadian Academy Screen Awards

Congratulations to director Kim Nguyen, star Rachel Mwanza, and the rest of the crew and cast that made War Witch (Rebelle) possible!

The film picked up 10 trophies at the The Canadian Screen Awards (Les prix Écrans Canadiens) this evening - awards given annually by the Academy of Canadian Cinema & Television recognizing excellence in Canadian film, TV, and digital media productions.

What's even more impressive is that the War Witch (which lost the Best Foreign Language Oscar to Austria’s Amour last week) was nominated in 12 categories. So while it wasn't quite a clean sweep, 10 out of 12 certainly isn't anything to sneeze at!

The 10 wins include nods in major categories like best picture, best direction (for Kim Nguyen), best actress (for Rachel Mwanza), best supporting actor (for Serge Kanyinda), best original screenplay (also for Nguyen), and more.

Star of the Democratic Republic Of the Congo-set tale, newcomer Mwanza, previously won the prestigious Golden Bear award for best actress at the Berlin Film Festival earlier last year, when the film began its international travels, collecting critical acclaim throughout its journey.

The film is about a young Congolese girl and child soldier named Komona (played by Mwanza), her fight for survival and struggle to find some normalcy and peace in her life.

The multi-award-winning film opened in USA theaters on Friday, March 1, through Tribeca Film, in New York, and will expand to other markets through June.

It's a film that we encourage you to see in the theater, but if you
can't wait until it comes to your city, it's also currently available on demand, so you
could watch it right now!

Here's the full list of Canadian Screen Awards winners, courtesy of the Academy of Canadian Cinema & Television.